Thursday, April 26, 2012

This past week I've seen a handful of mentions of "Super Short Reviews" and a lot of them had the person kind of doing a "duh!" moment. Why didn't I think of that before, why did I think I have to write long reviews for everything I read? So went back and wrote 1-2 sentence reviews for the books I haven't reviewed this year. I'm not going back past what I started reading in 2012.

It was okay, but it wasn't what I like from a Jane Austen sequel. There wasn't enough Elizabeth, I didn't get enough of the Darcy's as I would like them to be and I didn't care for the "murder mystery".

Normally with family series like this there is at least one sibling, spouse, or other family member I can't stand and that wasn't the case here. I like how the series stuck with all the siblings, I just wish we would have gotten Joe's story. While he's not focal in all the books, he's still important in the family dynamic and it would have been nice to have his story.

J.R. Ward has me hooked again, first with vampires and now with fallen angels! I love the BDB and this is a great view into what else is going down in Caldwell. (Which seems a little bit like Sunnydale, everything evil is happening here why? Not that I really care.)

I loved that we got a view into the life of these people and not just for a year or a few months but for years. I knew I was hooked when I started talking back to the characters as I drove to and from work.

One of the things I like most about the series is that it doesn't follow just one story line, it's a progression of all their lives. Loved Kell but really didn't care that much for Teddie. Can't wait for the next book!

Favorite so far! I liked the slight crossover with the BDB books, it shows that it's the same time and place but that this city is big enough where they aren't always crossing paths. I just loved everything about this book.

This book was a donation to the library and I picked it up to read at lunch. I was quite surprised with how much I liked it. I really liked that Jennifer Ashley explored how Asperger Syndrome was considered madness and how Beth can see who Ian really is by looking past the "madness."

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

I liked the book well enough. I would like to read Stay a Little Longer which is about Charlotte's Father and Aunt/Stepmother and the follow up book Come a Little Closer which is about Charlotte's half sister Christina.

Characters - I liked Owen and Charlotte but I wasn't drawn to them. I can honestly say that I liked some of the secondary characters more. I liked Hale the best followed by Hannah and John.(1/2 star)

Plot - The story was good but there were a few things that just didn't sit right with me. There seemed very little romance between Charlotte and Owen but then they're sleeping together in the barn. I didn't like how Charlotte was portrayed as trusting everyone but then doesn't tell who she saw start he stampede because now she doesn't know who she can trust because of Owen. The tornado seemed forced, like it was time to wrap up the book so the storm will force everyone together and they'll all just tell their secrets. (1/2 star)

Setting - ( loved the setting of this book. I haven't read too many books that take place in the 1930's but this was a treat. I love the description of the rollerskating rink and the scene of them skating.(1 star)

Genre - This book was in the romance section which was why it was picked for out book club, but after reading a few chapters I realized it wasn't really a romance. That being said, it was great for what it was, a light fiction book. (1 star)

Extra - This book had a little extra in the romance of Hale and Hannah. I loved Hale!(1/2 star)

These lists always kind of amuse me, I understand why people challenge them, I just don't see why you just limit your kid from reading it and let other people decided for their own families what's acceptable reading material.

Also can we please leave Brave New World and To Kill a Mockingbird alone? It's like being mean to a senior citizen, it's just not nice!

Thursday, April 5, 2012

I didn't do a Month Ahead post for April. I really don't have a plan for April. Reading is going to be a little tougher with school. I can always do like I did last night and say up until 1 am to finish a book, that plan will require a lot of coffee.

Since I don't have a book trailer here's this cool video of a stop motion telling of The Old Man and the Sea

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

This might be my last month of big numbers. I start my MA English and Creative Writing in April (yesterday by the time this posts) and probably won't have a lot of time for pleasure reading. I haven't do anything toward the Color Reading Challenge and I'm hoping to start on the Green Mile this month. We read two books for Book Club and had an author reading/signing.